Brown Girl Surf volunteers and staff had a big presence at the 3rd Annual Institute for Women’s Surfers at the Bill Lane Center for the American West at Stanford University this October. Brown Girl surf sat on the steering committee of the conference, spearheaded by surf scholar Dr. Krista Comer, and over 8 current and former BGS Staff and volunteers joined a group of 30 women gathered from around the world to present their work and discuss issues of access to the ocean. We were proud to represent the BGS family and hosted a “Speak Out” where our volunteers shared some powerful stories about what it means to be a woman of color in the ocean. Others present were scholars, writers, and scientists from places as far as Wales and Australia. We were also joined by local friends big wave surfer Bianca Valenti, film maker Dayla Soul, journalist and big wave surf photographer Sachi Cunningham, Rhonda Harper of Black Girls Surf, and our friends at City Surf Project and the Wahine Project. It was an inspiring, energizing, and empowering weekend where women of the surf world got to join together, share stories, and uplift and encourage each other’s voices.

After the meeting, Brown Girl Surf volunteers who attended the IWS met to discuss how they could further the Brown Girl Surf movement via passion projects, inspired by the work of their fellow surf-feminist activists. Keep an eye out for upcoming Brown Girl surf volunteer-led projects promote civic engagement, and use various media arts to explore women’s surf stories and share our surf culture.

Our fall season made a big splash in the surf community, serving over 75 women and girls. After a large turn out at our Creek to Bay Day Cleanup event, everyone was ready to get back in the water, BGS community members new and returning. We were stoked to have our new lead surf instructor Marley guiding our girls in and out of the water on these exciting mornings. Also this season, we were featured in The Fader, The San Francisco Chronicle, and Surfer magazine! Our fearless leader Mira was also awarded the ESPN Everyday Hero award, along with two other enterprising women empowering girls through sports.

One of our guiding principles at Brown Girl Surf is "Respect and Love for the Land and Sea." So this past Saturday, for Oakland's Creek to Bay Day, our Brown Girl Surf community put together a waterborne kayaking team of Trash Warriors to collect trash from hard-to-reach places along the Oakland estuary. By removing trash like plastic and styrofoam from the water's edge, we prevent it from flowing into the Bay, and eventually the ocean, where plastic pollution is harming the entire marine food chain. We were supported in our work by the City of Oakland Dept of Environmental Services, and our awesome friends at California Canoe and Kayak Co, who lent us watercraft for the day, and taught us the basics of paddling and safety.

Last April, on Earth Day, we also got together as a community in partnership with the Oakland Museum of California, to care for Channel Park, at the base of Lake Merritt. We had a super fun time, removing invasive species from the water's edge to make room for local plants which support local wildlife, picking up trash, and helping in the community garden. We learned about the connections between the estuary and the ocean, including the fact that some of the animals that live near our surf spot in Half Moon bay, like bat rays, also live in Lake Merritt!

Our Spring Crew is a team of brave and fun-loving girls who have made a special commitment to learning to surf and connecting to the ocean. We meet 6 Saturdays in the Spring to have fun at the beach, while we work on our surf skills and ocean knowledge, bond as a team, and take care of the earth. Some of our girls also train to be Junior Coaches. We are thrilled that five of nine Spring Crew members are returning for their second season after doing Fall Crew. This Spring, our girls have been extra hardcore, braving some bad weather and extra cold seas, and proving what it means to be NorCal surfers!

On April 16, we had our first Community Surf SIster Saturday of 2016! Community Surf Sister Saturdays happen once a month in the Spring and Fall, as long as the wave conditions are suitable. This Community day, we had a great turn out with lots of first time ever surfers and many new volunteers joining our family! Pro surfer and girl power activity Kelly Potts was a special guest instructor, all the way from Maui! Brown Girl Surf junior coaches from our teen Spring Crew helped teach our participants how to surf, and even graced us with an original Brown Girl Surf tune on the ukelele. ome join us for our next Brown Girl Surf Community Surf Sister Saturday, May 21. Spots are filling up fast! Wetsuits and boards are provided. We meet at Half Moon Bay. For more information, contact info@browngirlsurf.com

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